Folding chair



Jan. 3G, 1945. M T STURGEQN 2,368,498

FOLDING vCHAIR Filed July 29, 1942 ff .f4/'E5 MH/@MHDUKE TSTueG-Eo/v.

C11 lo: MAMA beach or shipboard use is indicated.

Patented Jan. 30, 1945 UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE ,FOLDING CHAIR.

Marmaduke T. Sturgeon, Baltimore, Md. Application July 29, 1942, serial No. 452,705 l Vl'Claim. v(Cl. 155-154) This invention relates to improvements in furniture, and more particularlychairs of the folding type. It has among its objects to provide a folding chair that is comfortable and adjustable to various positions selected. A further object is to have it compact when folded and sturdy when in open position. Another object is to have it designed to fold neatly, speedily and safely and without complicated movements in the process of doing so. Still another object is to have the legs, back and seat fold into a relatively flat unit, and when so folded capable of being used as a raft, table or other suitable articleof furniture developed from its folded structure.

Other objects will become apparent as the invention is more fully set forth.

In the conventional forms of folding chairs, while adaptable for many uses and convenient for the purposes which they are employed for, have several features which detract from their utility.

In the first place, their movements during folding and unfolding, are somewhat unwieldy and tend to make the process uncertain or injurious.

In this invention the structure is relatively simple; is easy to fold, and is adjustable to suit the wishes of the user.

In addition the device can be folded fiat on both sides and thereby form a compact and smoothly packable chair that will take up a minimum amount of room while eliminating projecting parts.

In the drawing which illustrates a form of this invention by way of example- Figure 1 is plan View of a chair, embodying this invention, in open position,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the invention shown in Figurel,

Figure 3 is a rear view or elevation of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a side view showing the chair collapsed or storing position, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the back and rear support showing the slots for engaging the adjusting members.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

In the drawing, a, chair suitable for porch, Its back or rest I, is preferably flat and of the form shown, with a slot Il), capable of taking a back supporting leg or rear support 4, when swung on its hinge 5 into closed position in the upper portion of the back.

, The lower portion of the back or rest I, has a seat 2 preferably ilat'hinged to it at 22 on the front or face of same. This hinge 22 permits the seat to swing up or down and lies fiat on the surface of the rest I.

The foot piece 3 preferably flat is likewise hinged at 33 to the front portion of the seat and serves to support the seat at the front, in a number of adjusted positions. This arrangement permits the parts to close up :dat in two plies as indicated in Figure 4. t

In order to control the movement of the leg and front piece 3, after being adjusted to their desired positions, the flexible member 6, is employed. This member 6 engages in slots 9 provided in the sides of the rear supporting leg 4; and slots-8 in the rest, aswell as hooks or screw eyes Il in the foot rest 3. The members have portions I9, formedthereon to catch or lock in the slots and cause the leg, rest and foot piece to tighten in same, at any tendency causing same to slip. The portions I9 are removed from the slots when the chair is to be folded and allow the parts lto be moved to closed position. Toes I2, are providedon the foot piece to make the chair rest evenly on uneven ground and tol prevent slipping.

When the chair is folded up, the seat 2 and foot piece 3, swing to the front of the chair back and lie fiat on same, while the leg 4, swings on its hinge 5 and enters flush in the slotIIl, out of the way. The chair is folded flat on both sides. The rear with leg 4, flush within the back I make a flat surface. This flat surface increases the utility of the device by enabling it to bey used as a table, an ironing board, a, raft and many other things valuable on ship board or for domestic purposes.

It may be packed with stability for storing purposes. The material used. is preferably of less specific gravity than water, so it can oat and be easy to carry or manipulate. If metal is used, the structure would preferably be hollow construction, to obtain the lightness desired. rThe process of folding the chair is simple and uncomplicated, as its seat and foot piece swing on their hinges easily to thefront surface of the chair back and lie flat; while the leg moves iiush into' the back and the rear portion of the `form, which so often results in conventional folding chairs.

While but'one form of the invention is indicated in the drawing, it is not desired to limit this application for patent to this particular form, or in any other way, otherwise than limited by the scope of the application, as it is appreciated that other forms and constructions could be used that would employ the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

A foldable non-arm chair for ground setting comprisingva ilatback having parallel sides and an upper `end portion fhaving `a Asemi-circular contour leading into the peripheral lines of the sides, said sides being tangent to said contour, said back having a lower end portion bordered by a transverse line at right angles to the sides, the sides being slotted from the edges'thereof inwardly and the rear surface of the back being recessed with a relatively large rectangular longitudinal depression extending parallel tothe sides for the greater proportion of its length, arectangular'nat-supporting leg relatively broad Aandjhinge'd adjacentlyfto thelupper portion of the depression and adapted to swing into and fit the same in closed position or to open and extend from the said back angularly downwardly to make with the back an inverted Y-lke form, said leg being slotted like the said back, a flat seat member hinged to the back near the bottom thereof and arranged to assume an approximate horizontal position for a person to sit on, said seat having a rectangular form With two of its corners bevelled 01T toreduce the Width at the vline of yhinging the same tothe wdthof the back,

and a at foot piece hinged across the front of the seat and adapted to rest angularly on the ground and tilt the seat coordinately, and lengths of exible rope-like material each havinge-n end'fastened to the foot piece and spaced stop members along same, portions of said `lengths Ibetween adjacent stops tting into the s lotsonfthe back and legs securely holding the said legs, back and footpiece together in a chairlike Vpositionsubstantially as described.

` MARMADUKE T.` STURGEON. 

